For the past few months, Simply.Law has been testing the UK’s first ever free 24/7 consumer-facing AI-powered legal advisor, developed by its technology partner, Simply.Law. It provides advice based on the laws of England & Wales by default but, if the user indicates a different location, e.g. Scotland, it can also advise on other legal jurisdictions.
Simply.Law, part of the Simply Technology Group, develops AI-driven legal software. It has developed the legal advisor solution using AI tools such as ChatGPT4.0 from OpenAI, exclusively for Simply.Law to use in the UK market (Simply.Law is also in active discussions to launch similar partnerships in other legal jurisdictions).
In our article “Live transcripts from an AI legal advisor – how am I doing? (Part 1)”, we discussed how this new service has been performing and began to share some transcripts of live conversations with real clients.
In Part 3, we are sharing a second anonymised client conversation regarding an international family / separation enquiry:
Anonymised Client International Family / Separation Enquiry:
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | May I have your name, please? |
| Client “K” | K |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | Nice to meet you, K. In order for us to know what legal jurisdiction applies to your inquiry, can you please confirm what town or city you live in? |
| Client “K” | France |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | Nice to meet you, K. As you are located in France, please be advised that my expertise is based on the laws of England and Wales. However, I am happy to provide general legal advice within my expertise to assist you as much as possible. In order for us to contact you later, can you please share your email address with us? |
| Client “K” | xxxx@icloud.com |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | Thank you, K. How can we help you today please? |
| Client “K” | My partner doesn’t want to live with me anymore, and wants me out, or if I stay in our joint owned house she wants me to pay her rent, or give her a settlement. Where do I stand please. Can she make me pay a settlement, or pay her rent. |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | To provide the most accurate advice, I need more information. Can you please provide me with some context regarding your situation? What type of settlement is she requesting payment for and under what circumstances? Are you currently living with her or renting a property together? |
| Client “K” | We are joint owners, I told her I had one night stand from 10 years ago, now she wants me out, or I pay her rent to stay and she moves, or she wants a settlement from me. |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | As joint owners, you both have equal rights to the property and there is no legal requirement for you to move out or pay her rent to stay. However, in certain circumstances, your co-owner may be able to apply to a court for an order for the sale of the property.
Regarding the settlement, if there is no legal agreement in place specifying a settlement amount, then any settlement amount must be agreed upon by both parties. However, it is important to be aware that if there is no legally binding agreement, your co-owner may be able to make a claim for a greater share of the property or its sale proceeds in the future.
In terms of the rental payments, if you both own the property, then your co-owner may not be able to make you pay rent to continue living there.
I suggest speaking to an Simply.Law solicitor who can provide more comprehensive legal advice specific to your situation. If you provide me with your full name, email address and phone number, I can arrange for an Simply.Law solicitor to contact you.
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| Client “K” | Many thanks. |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | You’re welcome, K. To arrange a consultation with an Simply.Law solicitor, I will need your full name and phone number. |
| Client “K” | Thanks I don’t need a solicitor, I just need advice on how I stand. |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | Of course. I hope the advice I have provided has been helpful.
Based on what you have told me, you are joint owners of the property and it appears that there is no legal agreement in place regarding a settlement amount. As such, any settlement amount must be agreed upon by both parties.
Regarding the rental payments, your co-owner may not be entitled to make you pay rent to continue living in the property if you both own it jointly.
However, if your co-owner applies to a court for an order for the sale of the property, there is a chance that a judge may rule in favour of the sale in order to resolve the dispute.
Please note that this is general legal advice and for more specific and detailed legal advice, you should seek the assistance of an Simply.Law solicitor.
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| Client “K” | Many thanks, you were most helpful. Kind regards, K. |
| Simply.Law Legal Advisor | You’re welcome, K. I’m glad I could be of assistance. If you have any further questions in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us again. Take care and best of luck. |
